Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide Inc., Stamford, Connecticut announced on Tuesday that it is renovating the fitness studios at its Westin-branded hotels.
WestinWORKOUT fitness facilities at 186 Westin hotels around the world are being transformed with new designs as well as new equipment and blue-light therapy. The new fitness studios will roll-out globally throughout 2012.
The redesign stems from Westin’s in-house design team’s studies of guest behavior that found Westin guests desired a more well-rounded, holistic fitness experience, including more options for stretching, yoga and fitness classes. To capitalize on this trend, Westin chose to remove select pieces of equipment that guests were not using as frequently in order to provide more floor space for these types of activities. Pulley machines were added to smaller fitness studios to further maximize space and provide a greater range of workout options.
The custom-created design of Westin’s new fitness studio, a departure from the typical gym aesthetic, was also driven by the changing trends of how people work out. Instead of black rubber floors, the Westin design team chose to use a natural, soft-tone color palette and organic materials including textural woven flooring. Inspired by nature, each fitness studio will also display a full-size art mural entitled “Step Up,” a reflective image of people running up a grassy hill, illustrating Westin’s goal of helping guests leave feeling better than when they arrived.